Create engaging classrooms where students learn to love writing and become lifelong communicators
Teaching Writing with the Seven Steps
So how do you teach the skill of great writing? It’s not as hard as you’ve always thought! The Seven Steps to Writing Success breaks down writing into explicit, practical steps that make it easy and FUN for students.
Below are a selection of resources from Seven Steps Online, the ultimate support tool for teachers in writing, that can help you unlock the fun, engaging and collaborative lessons of the Seven Steps.
Want to learn all the Seven Steps theory? Check out the most engaging PD for teachers: The Seven Steps Workshop.
One simple change to make when planning a writing lesson
Writing Resources
Transform your writing classroom with these Seven Steps resources
Curriculum Matrix Extract
- A planning tool designed to help you quickly and easily find the content you require.
- This extract lists the Year 2 Australian Curriculum content descriptions covered by each Step and directs you to the relevant pages in the Early Years Writing Manual. The full matrix is available on Seven Steps Online.
| GRADE | 2 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Planning |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive |
| RELATED ARTICLE | Seven Steps and the Curriculum in Australia |
Writing Improvement Plan
- A Term 4 planning document from Allenstown State School’s Writing Improvement Agenda (kindly shared by teacher Tanya Gill).
- Amalgamates the NAPLAN Marking Criteria and the Seven Steps in a fortnightly scheme of work.
| GRADE | F–10 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Planning |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive |
| RELATED ARTICLE | Bucking the Trend with the Seven Steps |
NAPLAN and Sizzling Starts
- A great starting point when preparing students for the NAPLAN Writing Test.
- An extract from the ‘Simple Guide to Improving NAPLAN Data’ available on Seven Steps Online.
| GRADE | 3–10 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Assessment |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive |
| RELATED ARTICLE | Six Myths About NAP – Persuasive |
Inspiring Great Writing Using Technology
- Practical writing activities that use apps and software, video and audio.
- There are lots more ideas on using digital technology in the writing classroom in the Action Activities series on Seven Steps Online.
| GRADE | F–10 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Reference List |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive, Informative |
| RELATED ARTICLE | The Magic of Technology – Inspiring great writing |
Using Multimedia to Teach the Seven Steps
- Practical writing activities that use multimedia content.
- There are lots more activities with multimedia content on Seven Steps Online.
| GRADE | F–10 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Reference List |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive, Informative |
| RELATED ARTICLE | Exciting Writing – Using multimedia in the classroom |
Picture Books that Demonstrate the Seven Steps
- A comprehensive list of picture books that are perfect for modelling Seven Steps techniques (thank you to Jillian Mudford from Bellevue Hill Public School for kindly sharing these).
- So many ways to inspire students’ creative writing! Seven Steps Online members can access dozens of Story Graphs on popular themes and inquiry topics.
| GRADE | F–6 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Reference List |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative |
| RELATED ARTICLE | The Power of Picture Books |
Videos and Adverts that Demonstrate the Seven Steps
- A list of videos and advertisements that provide perfect examples of the Seven Steps in action.
- Use them to engage students and to show them how real-world stories are carefully planned and crafted, regardless of whether they are written or filmed.
| GRADE | F–10 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Reference List |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive |
| RELATED ARTICLE | Exciting Writing – Using multimedia in the classroom |
Workbook Covers
- Make your Seven Steps workbooks look super snazzy with these covers.
- Colour or black and white versions to stick on the front of students’ workbooks.
| GRADE | F–6 |
|---|---|
| RESOURCE TYPE | Templates |
| STEP | All Steps |
| TEXT TYPE | Narrative, Persuasive, Informative |
Learn it One Day, Teach it the Next
Imagine a vibrant writing classroom where every student is engaged and contributing ideas. When they write, there is no hesitation or resistance. They share their work with excitement.
That’s what a Seven Steps classroom looks like.
“You aren’t teaching effective writing skills if you haven’t done the Seven Steps training.”
– Berrill Ley, Gloucester Public School
“You aren’t teaching effective writing skills if you haven’t done the Seven Steps training.”
– Berrill Ley, Gloucester Public School
